Birmingham - St Andrew's
Coventry Road : B9 4RL
Birmingham - St Andrew Birmingham City FC moved from their ground at Muntz Street and built a new football ground in Bordesley. The club took out a 21 year lease on a sloping industrial site near the railway station, extending to seven and a half acres, and set about draining and levelling it by 47 feet at the Kop. The new ground opened in 1906 and had a grandstand with a seating capacity of 6,000 and a cinder track around the outside of the pitch.

Small Heath Harriers held the first athletics meeting at the ground in 1907, but the first bicycle racing was not until the Harriers meeting on 1st May 1909. A half mile bicycle handicap race was included, but the one mile race was cancelled because of a heavy storm. The bicycle races were probably held on grass, with a lap distance of a quarter of a mile.

Bicycle races at the Harriers' meetings continued and Birmingham City FC supported the runners and the proceeds of athletics meetings at the ground were often donated to the harriers. There was a sports meeting at the ground on 16th May 1910 under NCU rules which attracted 2,000 spectators. The bicycle events were half and one mile open handicap races, half mile novices scratch and a two laps 2nd class scratch race. At Aston Police Court on 25th May 1910, four people were charged with betting offences at St Andrew's football ground at the sports meeting on 16th May. A plain clothed police officer saw the men making bets and the policemen himself placed a bet on the half mile cycle scratch race. The men claimed that the betting was casual and not organised, the magistrate agreed and fined them five shillings each and costs.

There were a few bicycle races at the harriers' meetings in 1911, one meeting had an attendance of around 1,500 which was described as ‘fair'. But 1911 proved to be the last year of bicycle racing at St Andrew's, possibly because the ground was only three miles from Aston Lower Grounds where attendances of 10,000 were not unusual for bicycle race meetings.

The ground has also been used for rugby, athletics, boxing - Henry Cooper fought there, and for pop concerts where UB40 and Duran Duran performed. The stadium is still the home of Birmingham City and is now known as St Andrew's@Knighthead Park after its owners.


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